Line 6 JM4 Looper User Manual

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JM4 Looper

Pilot’s Handbook

Manuel de pilotage

Pilotenhandbuch Pilotenhandboek

Manual del Piloto

Please visit www.line6.com/manuals to download information on SD Card features.

40-00-0168 Electrophonic Limited Edition available @ www.line6.com/manuals Rev B

WARNING: To reduce the risk of ﬁre or

electric shock, do not expose this appliance to rain or moisture.

NOTICE: This equipment has been tested and found to comply with the limits for a Class B digital device pursuant

to Part 15 of FCC Rules. Operation is subject to the following two conditions: (1) This device may not cause harmful interference, and (2) this device must accept any interference received, including interference that may cause undesired operation.

CAUTION: To reduce the risk of ﬁre or electric shock,

do not remove screws. No user-serviceable parts inside. Refer servicing to qualiﬁed service personnel.

The lightning symbol within a triangle means “electrical caution!” It indicates the presence of information about operating voltage and potential risks of electrical shock.

The serial number can be found on the back panel of your JM4 Looper. It’s the number that begins with “(21)”. Please note it here for future reference:

SERIAL NO:

The exclamation point within a triangle means “caution!” Please read the information next to all caution signs.

Please Note:

All product names referred to in this manual are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afﬁliated with Line 6. These trademarks of other manufacturers are used solely to identify the products of those manufacturers whose tones and sounds were studied during Line 6’s sound model development.

You should read these Important Safety Instructions

Keep these instructions in a safe place

Before using your JM4 Looper, carefully read the applicable items of these operating instructions and the safety suggestions.

1. Obey all warnings on the amp and in the JM4 Looper Manual.

2. Connect only to AC power outlets rated 100-120V or 200-240V 47-63Hz (depending on voltage range of the power supply; refer to label on the unit).

3. Do not perform service operations beyond those described in the JM4 Looper Manual. Service is required when the apparatus has been damaged in any way, such as:

 • power-supplycordorplugisdamaged

 • liquidhasbeenspilledorobjectshavefallenintotheapparatus

 • theunithasbeenexposedtorainormoisture

 • theunitdoesnotoperatenormallyorchangesinperformanceinasignicantway

 • theunitisdroppedortheenclosureisdamaged.

4. Transformers can get hot during operation. Do not touch during operation or shortly after.

5. Do not place near heat sources, such as radiators, heat registers, or appliances which produce heat. Keep the rear of the unit at least three inches from walls or other items that might block heat radiation.

6. Do not block any of the ventilation openings or use in an enclosed space.

7. Guard against objects or liquids entering the enclosure. Do not use or place unit near water.

8. Do not step on power cords. Do not place items on top of power cords so that they are pinched or leaned on. Pay particular attention to the cord at the plug end and the point where it connects to the amp.

9. Unplug the amp when not in use for extended periods of time. Unplug the amp during lightning storms.

10. Clean only with a damp cloth.

11. Do not defeat the safety purpose of the grounding type plug. A grounding type plug has two blades and a third grounding prong. The third prong is provided for your safety. When the provided plug does not ﬁt into your outlet, consult an electrician for replacement of the obsolete outlet.

12. Only use attachments/accessories speciﬁed by the manufacturer.

13. Prolonged listening at high volume levels may cause irreparable hearing loss and/or damage. Always be sure to practice “safe listening.”

Table of Contents

Tutorials ..................................................................................1•1

Tutorial 1 – Jam with a Song ......................................................................... 1•1

Tutorial 2 – Record & Overdub with Drums ................................................. 1•2

Tutorial 3 – Connect a Mic to the XLR input ............................................... 1•4

Tutorial 4 – Using the Aux Input .................................................................. 1•5

Controls & Connections ........................................................ 2•1

JM4 Looper the FX Processor .............................................. 3•1

Getting The Best Sound Feeding a Guitar Ampliﬁer .................................. 3•1

Recalling Guitar Tone Presets ...................................................................... 3•1

Saving Guitar Tone Presets ........................................................................... 3•2

Mic/Aux FX Presets ...................................................................................... 3•3

Aux Input Assign .......................................................................................... 3•3

Guitar Noise Gate ......................................................................................... 3•4

Guitar Distortion Boost ................................................................................ 3•4

Guitar Tuner ................................................................................................... 3•5

FX Auto Select .............................................................................................. 3•5

Microphone Trim Knob ................................................................................. 3•5

Microphone, Aux, and CD/MP3 Input Levels ............................................ 3•6

Mic/Aux EQ .................................................................................................. 3•6

Mic/Aux Delay and Reverb .......................................................................... 3•7

Mic/Aux Compressor .................................................................................... 3•7

Factory Reset ................................................................................................. 3•8

Jamming with JM4 Looper .................................................... 4•1

Loading Drum Grooves ................................................................................. 4•1

Loading Songs ............................................................................................... 4•1

Play Preview .................................................................................................. 4•2

Endless Play ................................................................................................... 4•2

Setting the Band/Drum Playback Level ....................................................... 4•3

Time Stretch/Transpose a Song or Drum Groove ......................................... 4•3

Changing the Speed/Pitch of a Song or Drum Groove ................................ 4•4

Setting Guitar Tones with Songs .................................................................. 4•4

Setting Guitar Tones with Recordings ......................................................... 4•4

Output Routing for Stereo Line Out Jacks ................................................... 4•5

Setting the Footswitch Mode ........................................................................ 4•6

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper ........................................ 5•1

Loop Recording 101 ....................................................................................... 5•1

Recording without a Song or Drum Groove .................................................. 5•2

Recording with a Song or Drum Groove ....................................................... 5•2

Quick Capture ................................................................................................ 5•3

Undoing the Last Recording .......................................................................... 5•3

Clearing (Erasing) the Current Track ............................................................ 5•3

Saving Recordings ......................................................................................... 5•4

Loading Recordings ....................................................................................... 5•4

Setting the Recorder Playback Level ............................................................ 5•5

Setting the Recorder Overdub Level ............................................................ 5•5

Erasing Recordings ........................................................................................ 5•6

Appendix: Modeled Amps .................................................... A•1

Which Amps Are Modeled? ......................................................................... A•1

Tu T o r i a l s

Press the

SONG/DRUMS

button.

Plug in power supply.

If the SONGS tab isn t already selected as shown,

press left on the 4-way button to select it.

Turn the wheel and you ll see the list of songs, and

hear a preview of each as it s selected.

Press . Song loads and plays.

Play along with the song. A matched guitar preset is loaded by default.

Press the INPUTS/LEVEL button. With the SONG/DRUMS tab selected,

turn the wheel to adjust the song volume.

Press to stop song.

Set MASTER VOLUME about as shown.

Connect your amp or headphones.

SONGS DRUMS REC

063 COOL 2 BEAT SWING 063 COOL 2 BEAT SWING 2

064 RATS

080 TRAPPED 081 MOODY BALLAD

Use CHAN VOL to adjust guitar volume.

TREBLE CHAN VOL

OUT

TO AMP

MASTER VOLUME

LEFT RIGHT

STEREO LINE OUT

OUTPUTS

Plug in your guitar.

INPUTS

/STOP

A Cool 2 Beat Swing

PLAYBACK LEVELS

MIC/AUX

GUITAR

100%

SONG/DRUMS

100%

Tutorial 1 – Jam with a Song

Tutorials

1•1

You can also jam with Drums. Give it a try!

Tutorials

Turn the wheel and you ll see the list of drums, and

hear a preview of each as it s selected.

Press the

SONG/DRUMS button.

If GUITAR is not already

lit, press RECORD SELECT to light it.

Count in plays.

Play your guitar for 4 bars then... tap

REC/OVERDUB at downbeat of bar 5 to loop back

beginning and immediately enter play mode.

To load DRUMS press

right on the 4-way button.

Tap REC.

Recording...

Continues top

of next page.

063 2 BEAT SWING 069 JAX

071 MY SUN

077 UN-DEAD 082 HOLIDAY

Plug in your guitar.

Press REC/OVERDUB

again to enter

overdub mode.

STRAIGHT GROOVE

SONGS DRUMS RECORDINGS

REC+UNDO = QUICK CAPTURE

OVERDUB

RECORD

If DRUMS tab isn t selected as shown, press

left/right on the 4-way button to select it.

RECORD SELECT

HOLD FOR REC MODE

INPUTS

REC+UNDO = QUICK CAPTURE

OVERDUB

RECORD

REC+UNDO = QUICK CAPTURE

OVERDUB

RECORD

Bar 1 Bar 2 Bar 3 Bar 4

This is your already recorded guitar

Your first overdub.

Your second overdub.

Play your guitar: you’re recording your first overdub...

and additional overdubs for each repeat of the loop

and so on.

Tutorial 2 – Record & Overdub with Drums

1•2

Tutorials

1•3

Tutorials

Connect your mic to the XLR input.

Increase mic TRIM. Decrease if clipping.

Press TONE/SETTINGS button twice

to show MIC/AUX PRESETS.

Press LEVEL/INPUTS button twice. Press left/right on the 4-way button to select MIC tab. Turn the wheel to balance Mic Level.

Mic/Aux Presets

Vocals Female 1

Press left/right on 4-way button to select values,

and turn wheel to adjust them.

If you want to record your

mic, press RECORD SELECT

until MIC/AUX is lit.

Turn the wheel to select a vocal preset.

MIC/AUX EQ

MIC/AUX REVERB & DELAY

MIC/AUX COMPRESSOR FOOTSWITCH MODE- NORMAL

MIC/AUX REVERB AND DELAY

50%

REVERB DELAY

50%

DLY TIME

50%

RECORD SELECT

HOLD FOR REC MODE

INPUTS

Turn wheel to select

MIC/AUX REVERB & DELAY

Press TONE/SETTINGS

again to show more

functions.

Press right on 4-way

button to see the reverb

and delay settings.

MIC AUX CD

-80..-60..-40..-20..0

+0dB

1•4

Tutorial 3 – Connect a Mic to the XLR input

Pop quiz: Follow the steps for recording as described earlier and create your ﬁrst ever vocal harmony loop.

Tutorials

CD/MP3

AUX

Tutorial 4 – Using the Aux Input

1•5

Controls & Connections

Co n T r o l s & Co n n e C T i o n s

Guitar In – Plug your guitar in here. The Guitar input has dedicated Amp and

FX processing.

Mic In and Trim – Connect a microphone to this XLR input and use the Trim

knob to adjust its gain. The Mic input has its own independent EQ, Reverb, Delay and Compressor FX processing.

Note: When not using a mic, always turns this all the way left (counterclockwise) to minimum to avoid any noise from the unconnected mic preamp.

2•1

Aux In – This 1/4-inch input can be used for a second guitar, mic or just about any

other audio source. You can choose whether this input gets processed and recorded with the Guitar input or Mic input.

CD/MP3 – Plug in any audio source to jam with your favorite music or drum

machine. Use the device’s output control to adjust its volume. Note: Start with the volume on your device at it’s lowest setting and bring it up to the volume you desire.

This input gets mixed with the Mic input for recording, but without any processing.

Out To Amp – Use this output to connect your JM4 to an instrument ampliﬁer.

Phones – To listen with headphones, plug in here. The Out To Amp is muted

when this jack is in use.

Master Volume – Sets the level for the Out To Amp and Stereo Line Outs.

The current setting is brieﬂy shown in the Display when you turn this knob.

Controls & Connections

Stereo Line Out – Use these outputs to connect your JM4 to a mixer, PA,

recording interface, or other line input equipment.

SD Card Slot – You can use standard SD Cards, up to 2GB capacity, to

store JM4 Looper recordings and transfer them to/from your computer. Please visit www.line6.com/manuals to download more information on SD Card features. This slot is also used at our factory to install the ﬁrmware that controls your JM4 Looper.

2•2

Power – Connect the included 9v AC power supply here. Remove it to turn your

JM4 off.

Amp Models – Spin this knob to select one of (12) Amp Models. All the guitar

tone and FX controls will automatically be set to sound great with that Amp Model, so you can just play! When you turn this knob, the Display will brieﬂy show the currently-loaded Amp Model name, along with the current settings of the Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Chan Vol knobs. Turn the knob all the way counterclockwise (left) to its minimum position to turn the Amp Modeling off.

Tone Controls – Drive is like a volume or gain knob on guitar amps; controls

how much “dirt” you get in your sound. Bass, Mid, and Treble controls are customized for each Amp Model to give you optimal tonal control. When you turn any of these knobs, the Display will brieﬂy show the currently-loaded Amp Model name, along with the current settings of the Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Chan Vol knobs.

Smart Control FX – Spin one of these knobs to get great FX, fast and easy:

Knob A selects Chorus/Flange, Phaser or Tremolo, with a range of settings – from subtle to extreme – for each effect. The LED indicates the active effect. Turning the knob all the way down turns this effect off.

Knob B selects Delay, Tape Echo or Sweep echo, with a range of mix settings from low to high. The LED shows the active effect and the Tap LED ﬂashes the delay time. To change

Controls & Connections

delay time, tap the Ta p button. Turning this knob all the way down turns the effect off.

When you turn either knob, the Display will brieﬂy show you the current settings.

Reverb – Dial up more or less virtual room. While turning the knob, the Display

will show you the current setting.

Channel Volume – This control helps you balance the volumes of different

amp-and-effect setups that you store in your JM4 Looper’s (36) User preset channels. When you turn this knob, the Display will brieﬂy show the currently-loaded Amp Model name, along with the current settings of the Drive, Bass, Mid, Treble, and Chan Vol knobs.

2•3

Tap / Hold for Tuner – Tap on the Ta p button a few times to set the

delay time. The Display will brieﬂy show the delay time you tapped in BPM (beats per minute).

Hold the Ta p button for 3 seconds to activate the built-in chromatic Tuner.

Select Knob – Turn this knob to change the selected item in the Display.

4-way Navigation Button – Press Up, Down, Left, or Right on this

button to get to a setting that you’d like to change.

Record Select Button and LEDs – Press this button to select an input

for recording, either Guitar or Mic/Aux. The Display and corresponding text will light up to show what’s been selected.

Press and hold for 2 seconds to choose whether the Aux should feed the guitar tone and get recorded with Guitar, or feed the Mic FX and get recorded with the Mic.

Controls & Connections

Song / Drums Button – A ﬁrst press of this button gives you:

Song Select•

Drums Select•

Recording Select•

2•4

A second press of this button displays the following menu items:

Tempo/Pitch Modes•

Looping On/Off•

Endless Play On/Off•

Recorder Overdub Level•

Play Preview On/Off•

Level / Inputs Button – A ﬁrst press of this button gives you:

Song/Drums Volume•

Guitar Track Volume•

Mic/Aux Track Volume•

A second press of this button gives you:

Mic Input Level•

Aux Input Level•

CD Input Level•

Tone / Settings Button – A ﬁrst press of this button gives you:

Guitar Tone Presets•

A second press of this button gives you:

Mic/Aux Presets•

A third press of this button displays the following menu items:

Gate/Boost On/Off•

FX Auto Select On/Off•

Songs Set Tone On/Off•

Controls & Connections

Recordings Set Tone On/Off•

Mic/Aux EQ•

Mic/Aux Delay And Reverb•

Mic/Aux Compressor•

Output Routing Mode•

Pitch/Tempo Preview Mode•

Display – The LCD (liquid crystal display) is your window into the power of the

JM4 Looper. Here you’ll see various “pages” as you work the controls.

Save Button – Pressing this button displays the following menu items:

Save Guitar Tone•

Save Recording To Internal•

Save Recording To SD Card•

Erase Saved Recording•

Erase SD Card Recording•

Erase All Internal Recordings•

Transfer Recording To Card•

2•5

Transfer Recording From Card•

Transfer All To Card•

Transfer All From Card•

Save Recording Mix As WAV To Card•

Import WAV File From Card•

Controls & Connections

Format Card•

Firmware Version•

Firmware Upgrade•

Clip Light – This lights to say, “Whoa, Nelly! That’s too much input!” The

2•6

input that is clipping will be brieﬂy displayed in the LCD. If the Guitar and Aux inputs cause clipping, turn down the device that’s feeding your JM4 Looper. If the Mic input causes clipping, turn down the JM4 Looper Mic Trim.

Control Footswitches – These can control a variety of functions. When

your JM4 Looper shipped from our factory, they were set to control the following built-in jam and recording functions:

Rec/Overdub –• Press to start and stop recording or overdubbing.

Play/Stop –• Press to start and stop the loaded Song, Drum Loop or Recording.

Undo/Hold to Clear –• After recording, press to undo (delete) your last recorded

section, or hold for 3 seconds to clear (erase) either the entire recording, the Guitar track, the Mic/Aux track, or the Song/Drum selection by using the Clear menu.

Mode Footswitch – Want to go nuts controlling other things with the

footswitches? No problem! Press this footswitch to choose the next footswitch control mode. What footswitch modes, you ask? The details, my friend, are revealed on page 4•6

Setting The Footswitch Mode.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

JM4 lo o p e r T h e FX pr o C e s s o r

Getting The Best Sound Feeding a Guitar Ampliﬁer

If you’ll be running your JM4 Looper in front of a guitar ampliﬁer and using the JM4 Looper Amp Models, we recommend that you set your amp’s tone controls “ﬂat”. If your amp has a drive/gain control, try setting it to minimum, set your amp’s bass and treble to max, and its mid to minimum. Select the OFF position for JM4 Looper’s Amp Model knob, and ensure that you’re getting a clean sound, then select the JM4 Amp Model of your choice if you want to “hot rod” your amp’s tone with one of the Amp Models. Experiment with different settings, to see what works best for you and your setup. For example, some amps may sound better with bass and treble set to 5 instead of max.

Recalling Guitar Tone Presets

Your new JM4 Looper ampliﬁer is loaded with over 300 guitar amp-and-effect presets to cover a wide range of tones and styles. Many presets have been dialed-in by some of today’s inﬂuential artists!

3•1

When selecting presets, the display looks like this:

Press • Up on the 4-way button to select the top left area (it will be shown in the display as a black box with inverted text). While this area is selected:

Turn the • Select knob to choose the Artist Bank, Style Bank, or User Bank.

Now press • Right on the 4-way button to select the top right area (it will be shown in the display as a black box with inverted text). While this area is selected:

For the • Artist and Style presets, turn the Select knob to choose from the available Artist and Style folders.

For the • User presets, turn the Select knob to choose a User preset.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

Press • Down on the 4-way button to select the preset name (it will be shown in the display as a black box with inverted text). While this area is highlighted:

Turn the • Select knob to select the next/previous presets from the currently selected preset group.

Want to know more about these presets? We’re glad you asked. The JM4 features the exact same set of presets as the Spider Jam ampliﬁer. They’re organized in 3 categories:

Artist –• These presets were dialed-in by a team of insane guitar slinging rock stars

3•2

that cover a great range of styles. We sent a Spider Jam amp to each of them to create a bank of inspiring tones. Some chose to capture the tone of their records, while some explored the insane range of tonal possibilities that the Spider Jam offers. Whatever the outcome, their work is at your disposal, because every last preset they created is in your JM4 Looper. It’s as if they came to your home and helped you dial in your JM4! There are separate folders for each artist. These presets cannot be erased, but they can be modiﬁed and saved to one of the 36 User preset locations.

Style –• Presets organized by style or song, including based on the top 200 guitar rock songs of all time. There are separate folders for each style and year that the song came out. These, too, are read-only and cannot be erased, but can be modiﬁed and saved to any of the 36 User presets.

User –• 36 great-sounding presets that you can overwrite with your own custom tones. The User presets are numbered 1A - 9D and can also be recalled using Guitar Preset Footswitch Mode. A factory reset (see page 3•8) will restore these presets to their factory defaults.

Saving Guitar Tone Presets

You can store your current settings to one of the 36 User preset locations as follows:

Press the • Save button.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Save Guitar Tone.

Press • Right on the 4-way button. If you’ve modiﬁed a User preset, you’ll be taken to that User preset location. If you’ve modiﬁed any other preset, you’ll go to User preset location 1A.

Turn the • Select knob to select the User preset location you want to store to.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

If you want to rename the new preset, use • Left/Right on the 4-way button to pick a character and the Select knob to change that character.

Press • Down on the 4-way button to save, or press the Song, Level, or Tone buttons to cancel.

The settings of all the knobs in the amp/effects control panel will be saved, as well • as the current tapped delay tempo.

Mic/Aux FX Presets

The Microphone input has its own FX. If you’ve chosen to mix the Aux input with the Microphone input (see page 3•3), the Aux input will share this processing, too. To

select a preset for these FX:

Press the • Tone / Settings button twice to show this display:

Turn the • Select knob to select from the presets.

Aux Input Assign

The Aux input can be used for a second guitar or any other audio source. This input can either share the Amp and FX processing with the Guitar input, or share the Microphone input’s EQ, Reverb, Delay and Compressor FX. You get to decide. If you’re connecting a second guitar, you’ll want to share the Guitar processing. For just about everything else, you’ll want to share the Microphone processing. Here’s how you make that choice:

3•3

Hold the • Record Select button for two seconds.

Turn the • Select knob to select Mixed with Microphone or Mixed with Guitar.

Press the • Song / Drums, Level / Inputs or Tone/Settings button to exit.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

Guitar Noise Gate

JM4 Looper includes a built-in Noise Gate, which helps to cut down on hiss and noise. Here’s how you turn it on and off:

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Guitar Gate/Boost.

3•4

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to turn the Noise Gate on or off.

This setting is stored and recalled with presets.

Guitar Distortion Boost

There’s also a Distortion Boost available. This gives the kind of extra ‘dirt’ that you’d expect from a Distortion pedal with the distortion control set low and the output control set high. It boosts your guitar signal before it reaches the Amp Model, so that you hit the model harder and get a more distorted sound.

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Guitar Gate/Boost.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

On the page showing the gate and boost settings, press • Right on the 4-way button to select Boost.

Turn the • Select knob to turn the Distortion Boost on or off.

This setting is stored and recalled with presets.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

Guitar Tuner

Press and hold the Ta p button for 2 seconds or more and you get an instant digital Tuner. The volume is muted during tuning so you won’t hear anything coming out of the JM4 Looper. Press any button to exit Tuner Mode. The display on the top panel of the JM4 Looper will work as the tuner display.

FX Auto Select

When you select an Amp Model from the front panel, JM4 Looper will also automatically dial-in the effects to make that effect shine. If you’d like to disable this feature, you can:

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight FX Auto Select.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to turn the FX Auto Select on or off.

Microphone Trim Knob

The ﬁrst step after connecting a microphone is to set this knob to a good level:

Sing into your microphone at maximum volume and turn this knob until the • Clip light starts to light slightly.

Turn the knob back down slightly so clipping won’t occur.•

When not using a mic, always turn this knob all the way left (counterclockwise) to • minimum to avoid any noise from the unconnected mic preamp.

3•5

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

BASS TREBLEMID

Microphone, Aux, and CD/MP3 Input Levels

Before using the Mic, Aux and CD/MP3 inputs, set their levels as follows:

Press the • Level / Inputs button twice to show this display:

3•6

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Mic, Aux, or CD.

Sing or play into the selected input and observe the readings on the meter.•

Turn the • Select knob up or down until the meter shows a peak reading between -20 and 0 when you’re singing or playing.

Tip: Start by turning the Select knob until you see +0 dB (as shown above) on the screen. Then, turn whatever is connected to your JM4 up or down to get a peak meter reading between -20 and 0. If you can’t get there from the other unit, use the

Select knob as described above.

Mic/Aux EQ

If you’d like to customize the Mic/Aux EQ yourself:

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Mic/Aux EQ.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Bass, Mid, or Treble.

Turn the • Select knob to adjust the Bass, Mid, or Treble levels.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

Mic/Aux Delay and Reverb

If you’d like to customize the Mic/Aux Delay and Reverb:

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Mic/Aux Delay and Reverb.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Reverb, Delay, or Delay Time.

Turn the • Select knob to adjust Reverb level, Delay level, or Delay Time.

Mic/Aux Compressor

The Compressor will help even out your performance by reducing the volume of the loudest sounds to better match the volume of the quieter sounds.

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Mic/Aux Compressor.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select between Threshold (at what level should the compressor start working?), Ratio (how aggressive should the compressor be when it starts working?) and Level (turn it up if the compressor ends up lowering your volume too much).

3•7

Turn the • Select knob to adjust the selected parameter.

JM4 Looper the FX Processor

Factory Reset

If you’d like to reset your JM4 to its factory-fresh state, discarding all your own adjustments to the User presets and restoring the factory-standard settings, do the following:

Power up while holding the • Tone / Settings button.

Warning: a Factory Reset will replace all your customized User presets •

3•8

with the factory-standard settings. So before doing a reset, be sure to back up any custom presets you’d like to save.

Jamming with JM4 Looper

Ja M M i n g w i T h JM4 lo o p e r

JM4 Looper is always ready to back you with over 100 built-in Songs and Drum Grooves laid down by top L.A. session aces. No MIDI here! From country to funk, and blues to punk, these authentic backing tracks are the perfect accompaniment and inspiration for practicing, composing or simply having fun playing guitar.

Loading Drum Grooves

To load a drum groove:

Press the • Song / Drums button to show the Song/Drums Page.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Drums.

Turn the • Select knob to see the available drum grooves. The grooves are arranged by tempo and the BPM (beats per minute) shows up as the ﬁrst 3 characters of the name. If Play Preview is on, you’ll hear a short clip of each drum groove as you browse.

When you get to the one you want, press the • Play footswitch to play the groove and remain in the list. Or, press Right on the 4-way button to play the groove and exit the list.

4•1

Press the • Play / Stop footswitch to stop and start the groove. If Endless Play is set to on, the groove will play in a continuous loop. If Endless Play is set to off, the groove will play from beginning to end, then stop. (see page 4•2 for info on Play Preview and Endless Play settings).

Loading Songs

To load a Song:

Press the • Song / Drums button to show the Song/Drums Page.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Songs.

Turn the • Select knob to see the available Songs. The Songs are arranged by tempo and the BPM (beats per minute) shows up as the ﬁrst 3 characters of the Song name. If Play Preview is on, you’ll hear a short clip of each Song as you browse.

Jamming with JM4 Looper

When you get to the one you want, press the • Play footswitch to play the Song and remain in the list. Or, press Right on the 4-way button to play the Song and exit the list.

Press the • Play / Stop footswitch to stop and start the Song. If Endless Play is set to on, the Song will play in a continuous loop. If Endless Play is set to off, the Song will play from beginning to end, then stop.

Play Preview

You can choose whether you want to automatically hear short clips while you browse

4•2

through the Songs and Drum Grooves, as follows:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Play Preview.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to turn Play Preview On or Off.

Endless Play

To choose whether the Songs and Drum Grooves “loop” endlessly or just play once and stop, do the following:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Endless Play.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to turn Endless Play On or Off.

You can also choose whether a free time Recording “loops” endlessly or just plays once then stops, as follows:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Looping, then press Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to turn Looping for Recording or Playback On or Off.

Setting the Song/Drums Playback Level

MIC/AUX/WAVGUITAR

PITCH SHIFT SEMI KEY

ORIG

95 BPM

TEMPO

100 BPM

TIME STRETCH

Press the • Level / Inputs button to show the Levels Page.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Song/Drums.

Turn the • Select knob up or down to set the playback level.

Jamming with JM4 Looper

Time Stretch/Transpose a Song or Drum Groove

You can time stretch or transpose the currently-loaded Song or Drum Groove as follows:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Tempo/Pitch Modes, then press Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to display the Time Stretching And Pitch Shifting screen then press Right on the 4-way button.

To time stretch, press • Left on the 4-way button, if necessary, to highlight Time Stretch.

Then turn the • Select knob to change tempo.

If a Song or Drum is active, the original tempo is also shown for reference, • and will not change.

4•3

If no Song or Drum is active, time stretch will be shown as a percentage, rather than a

Jamming with JM4 Looper

BPM (beats per minute) value.

To transpose, press • Right on the 4-way button, if necessary, to highlight the Pitch Shift heading.

If no Song or Drum is active, transpose will be shown as a percentage, rather than semitones.

4•4

Changing the Speed/Pitch of a Song or Drum Groove

You can change the tempo of the currently-loaded Song or Drum Groove as follows:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to to highlight Tempo/Pitch Modes, then press Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the Select knob to highlight • Varispeed and press Right on the 4-way button.

Then turn the • Select knob to transpose up/down.

If a Song is active, the resulting key will also be shown.•

If a Drum is active, no key will be shown.•

For Drum Grooves, the default tempo in BPM (beats per minute) will be displayed. • Turn the Select knob to select a new tempo.

For Songs, a transposition amount will be displayed, along with the current tempo • in BPM. Turn the Select knob to pick a new pitch in 1/2 steps; the resulting tempo will be displayed.

Note that once you’ve made a recording, you can’t change the speed/pitch.

* For more details on Tempo/Pitch Modes, please download the JM4 Looper Advanced Guide at www.line6.com/manuals.

Setting Guitar Tones with Songs

By default, loading a Song will automatically load a custom-crafted guitar tone, too. You can choose whether you want a Song to automatically set the guitar tone:

Jamming with JM4 Looper

Press the • Song / Drums button three times to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Songs Set Tone.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to select On or Off.

Setting Guitar Tones with Recordings

By default, loading a Recording will automatically load a custom-crafted guitar tone, too. You can choose whether you want a Recording to automatically set the guitar tone:

Press the • Song / Drums button three times to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Recordings Set Tone.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to select On or Off.

Output Routing for Stereo Line Out Jacks

4•5

You can choose what signals are sent to the Stereo Line Out jacks on the back of the unit:

Press the • Tone / Settings button three times to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Output Routing.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

To have everything come out of both JM4 Looper’s • Amp Output and the Stereo Line Out, turn the Select knob to select Normal.

To have the Guitar come out of JM4 Looper’s • Amp Output and everything else come out of the Stereo Line Out, turn the Select knob to select Performance.

Jamming with JM4 Looper

1/2 SPEED

EXIT

LOOP FX MODE

RECREC INPUT

SELECT

MODE

REC SELECT MODE

TUNER

PRST PRST TAP/ MODE

GUITAR PRESET MODE

DELAY

GUITAR AMP/FX MODE

AMP

MODEL

MODMODE

Setting the Footswitch Mode

Although the left three footswitches are labeled for their main functions, there are in fact several Alternate Footswitch Modes available. To access them, follow these steps:

Press the • Mode footswitch (the far right footswitch)

You will see • LOOP FX MODE displayed in the LCD. Notice that footswitch C will now toggle 1/2 Speed on or off in this mode.

If you press the • Mode footswitch again after several seconds, you’ll return to NORMAL mode.

4•6

Optionally, if you press the • Mode footswitch within 2 seconds after you’ve entered LOOP FX MODE, you can toggle thru all 4 of the Alternate Footswitch Modes, as displayed here:

Here are a few basic guidelines regarding Alternate Footswitch Modes:

The LCD will display what the footswitches will do for the currently selected • Alternate Footswitch Mode.

Pressing the • Mode footswitch while one of the Alternate Footswitch Modes is selected will toggle you back and forth between NORMAL mode and the current Alternate Footswitch Mode.

Pressing the • Mode footswitch again within 2 seconds after selecting one of the Alternate Footswitch Modes will take you to the next Alternate Footswitch Mode.

* For more details on Alternate Footswitch Modes, please download the JM4 Looper Advanced Guide at www.line6.com/manuals.

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

First recording also

determines loop length

First recording

First Overdub

Second Overdub

Third Overdub

First recording

First recording also

determines loop length

First Overdub

Second Overdub

Third Overdub

Time in Minutes

3 Minute Song or Drum

Groove

This portion will loop

with the recording

lo o p re C o r d i n g w i T h JM4 lo o p e r

Loop Recording 101

JM4 Looper’s on-board loop recorder allows you to record your guitar (or any other input), automatically loop that recording, and overdub into that recorded loop. You can also think of it graphically:

With JM4 Looper, you can also loop record with or without a Song or Drum Loop. If you record with a Song or Drum Groove:

As the recording loops, the portion of the Song or Drum Groove that matches the recording will loop, too, as if it had been recorded with the loop.

5•1

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

Recording without a Song or Drum Groove

To record without a Song or Drum Groove:

Press the • Song / Drums button to show the Song/Drums page.

Press • Right on the 4-way button to select Rec.

Make sure your sources are connected and your levels are set as described in Chapters • 3 and 4.

Press the • Record Select button to choose Guitar or Mic/Aux as your recording source. Remember that the Aux input can be assigned to either Guitar or Mic (see page 3•3) and the CD/MP3 input gets mixed and recorded with the Mic input.

Press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch to set the loop start point and start recording.

5•2

Play or sing.•

Press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch to set the loop end point. Loop immediately begins to play back from the beginning, and will continuously loop.

Or, press the • Play / Stop footswitch to set the loop end point and stop playback.

Once you have a loop recorded and playing back, press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch twice to overdub additional audio on top of the loop.

Recording with a Song or Drum Groove

To record with a Song or Drum Groove:

Press the • Song / Drums button to show the Song/Drums page.

Press • Right on the 4-way button to select Song or Drums.

Make sure your sources are connected and your levels are set as described in Chapters • 3 and 4.

Press the • Record Select footswitch to choose Guitar or Mic/Aux as your recording source. Remember that the Aux input can be assigned to either Guitar or Mic (see page 3•3) and the CD/MP3 input gets mixed and recorded with the Mic input.

Load and play a Song or Drum Loop as described in Chapter 4.•

About 1 bar before you want to begin recording, press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch.

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

Recording begins at beat 1 of the next bar. This will also set the loop start point.

Play or sing.•

Press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch to set the loop end point. Loop immediately begins to play back from the beginning, and will continuously loop.

Or, press the • Play / Stop footswitch to set the loop end point and stop playback.

Once you have a loop recorded and playing back, press the • Rec / Overdub footswitch twice to overdub additional audio on top of the loop.

Quick Capture

If you’ve got a guitar riff that you want to capture quickly without having to set up the recorder, press and hold the Undo footswitch then press the Rec footswitch. This forces Rec Select to Guitar, turns off the Song/Drums, and immediately starts the recorder. Press

Play / Stop to stop recording.

Undoing the Last Recording

Press the Undo footswitch to erase your last overdub.

5•3

Clearing (Erasing) the Current Track

To access the Clear functions:

Hold the • Undo footswitch for 2 seconds.

Clear All• is initially selected:

Press • Undo to completely clear recorded audio, and also clear the Drum/ Song selection.

Or turn the • Select knob to choose Clear Guitar Track:

Press • Undo to clear just the guitar track, without affecting the Mic/Aux track or the Drum/Song selection.

Or turn the • Select knob to choose Clear Mic/Aux Track:

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

Press • Undo to clear just the Mic/Aux track, without affecting the Guitar track or the Drum/Song selection.

Or turn the • Select knob to choose Clear Song/Drum Track:

Press Undo to clear the current Drums/Song selection, but leave any current recorded audio undisturbed.

Saving Recordings

When you save a recording, your complete setup is saved, including any recorded audio, which Song is selected, your levels, Aux setup, Mic FX and guitar tone preset. To save a recording to internal memory:

5•4

Press the • Save button.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Save Recording To Internal.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to select the location you want to save to.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

If you want to rename the new recording, press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to pick a character and the Select knob to change that character.

Press • Down on the 4-way button to save, or press the Song, Level, or Tone buttons to cancel.

Loading Recordings

To load a recording:

Press the • Song / Drums button to show the Song/Drums Page.

Press • Right on the 4-way button to select Rec.

Turn the • Select knob to see the available recordings.

When you get to the one you want, press the • Play footswitch to play the Recording and remain in the list. Or, press Right on the 4-way button to play the Recording and exit the list.

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

MIC/AUX/WAVGUITAR

Press the • Play / Stop footswitch to stop and start the recording.

* With the latest JM4 ﬁrmware update, you can now save and load Recordings directly to and from an SD card. For more details, please download the JM4 Looper Advanced Guide at www.line6.com/manuals.

Setting the Recorder Playback Level

You can adjust the playback levels of the Song/Drums, recorded Guitar track and recorded Mic track:

Press the • Level / Inputs button.

Press • Left/Right on the 4-way button to select Song/Drums, Guitar, or Mic/Aux/Wav.

Turn the • Select knob to set the level.

5•5

Setting the Recorder Overdub Level

You can choose how loud you want previously recorded material to be when you’re overdubbing:

Press the • Song / Drums button twice to show the additional functions.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Recorder Overdub, then press Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to set the level.

Loop Recording with JM4 Looper

Erasing Recordings

To erase a recording, do the following:

Press the • Save button.

Turn the • Select knob to highlight Erase Saved Recording.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Turn the • Select knob to select the Recording you want to erase.

Press • Right on the 4-way button.

Press the • Down button to erase, or press the Song, Level, or Tone buttons to

5•6

cancel.

You can also select and erase the Demo, just like any recording, to free up some additional recording time.

*Additionally, there are new Erase commands included with the latest JM4 ﬁrmware update, such as Erase All Internal Recordings and Erase SD-Card Recording. For more details, please download the JM4 Looper Advanced Guide at www.line6.com/manuals.

Appendix: Modeled Amps

ap p e n d i X : Mo d e l e d aM p s

Which Amps Are Modeled?

There are 12 Amp Models living within your JM4 Looper.

Clean

Red LED: “Clean”. Select this Amp Model and adjust the tone controls to get crisp, amazing

clean tones, great warm jazz tones, and all the high-end shimmer you’ll need with a generous amount of bottom end to boot. Then dial up a little chorus and delay to get the ultimate clean sound!

Green LED: “Glassy”. We developed this Amp Model to emulate those late 60’s and early 70’s clean tones. It started off as an Amp Model based on a 1973 Hiwatt® custom 100. We extended the tone control range and tightened up the low end. Hit an open A chord and let that big sweet tone ring!

Twang

Red LED: “Twang”. This Amp Model draws on our analysis of mid 60’s Fender® amps,

including the blackface ’65 Twin Reverb® and blackface ’64 Deluxe Reverb®. We wanted an Amp Model that has that classic glassy high end tone, with some snap and bite for some serious chick’n pick’n. Things don’t get too crunchy until reaching the top range of the

Drive knob.

Green LED: “Twin Twang”. This Amp Model is based on a number of vintage tweed amps.

We evaluated a ’53 Fender® tweed Deluxe, ’58 Fender® tweed Bassman® and a ’60 Gibson Explorer to create a swingin’ Rockabilly tone. Add some reverb and a slap echo and Be-bopalu-la!

Blues

Red LED: “Blues”. What would happen if we based a model on three helpings of ’65

Marshall® JTM-45, one scoop of ’58 Fender® Bassman®, a schmeer of ’63 Fender® Vibroverb and a dash of Supro for good measure? The biggest, fattest down home Blues amp ever heard. This Amp Model slides between gritty swamp-infected cleans to syrupy smooth, walloping drive tones. It’s time to get down and dirty!

* All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afﬁliated with Line 6. These product names, descriptions and images are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the speciﬁc products that were studied during Line 6’s sound model development. Hiwatt® is a registered trademark of Fernandes Company, Inc. FENDER®, Twin Reverb, Deluxe Reverb and Bassman are registered trademarks of Fender Musical Instruments Corporation.

A•1

Appendix: Modeled Amps

Green LED: “Class A”. Ready, steady....GO! This Amp Model is based on a fawn Vox®

AC-30 ampliﬁer with an updated and expanded tone control circuit. We wanted to capture that early British pop rock tone that the Beatles and the Stones are so well known for.

Crunch

Red LED: “Crunch”. This sound was crafted during our studies of the ‘68 Marshall® Plexi

50 Watt. This type of Marshall® amp was used by a number of early metal bands. Check out albums like British Steel, Number of the Beast and Black Out. Crunch provides a wider range of tone control settings than the original Marshall® amp had. This Amp Model will allow you to bump up the mids even at the highest Drive settings.

Green LED: “On Fire”. Plexi On Fire! This Amp Model is based on a ‘68 Marshall® Plexi 100 watt with a few added extras; The combination of a Variac and the jumpered input channels creates that infamous brown sound that will feel like ﬂames are shooting out the input jack! “Come on Dave… Give me a break!”

Metal

A•2

Red LED: “Metal”. This Amp Model is based on the Mesa/Boogie® Dual Rectiﬁer®. For JM4 Looper, we made careful enhancements to this classic tone. The resulting Amp Model has a deﬁnite modern ﬂavor. This monster truck of tone delivers a tight bottom end that’s big, powerful, tight and fast. Use this Amp Model to get a tight and punchy, high gain Metal sound.

Green LED: “Spinal Puppet”. This sound was created to be an aggressive high gain Amp Model with a unique Mid control that will sweep though an entire spectrum of tone on one knob. The Mid knob for this Amp Model changes the character of the distortion. When set to minimum, the distortion exhibits Fuzz pedal characteristics. When the Mid is set to noon, it mimics the creamy modern high gain amp tones. And when the Mid knob is turned up to max, it’s very much reminiscent of that Class A sound. Of course, then there are all the places in-between...

* All product names are trademarks of their respective owners, which are in no way associated or afﬁliated with Line 6. These product names, descriptions and images are provided for the sole purpose of identifying the speciﬁc products that were studied during Line 6’s sound model development. VOX® is a registered trademark of Vox R&D Limited. MARSHALL® is a registered trademark of Marshall Ampliﬁcation Plc. MESA/BOOGIE® and RECTIFIER® are registered trademarks of Mesa/Boogie, Ltd.

Appendix: Modeled Amps

Insane

Red LED: “Insane”. This model is our “dialed in for shredding” version of the Mesa/Boogie®

Dual Rectiﬁer® red channel. It combines the intensity and impact of Metal Red, but delivers more midrange and teeth for that bone-crushing, brain piercing insane grind.

Green LED: “80s Solo”. Our goal with Insane was to provide you with as much input gain distortion as possible short of complete meltdown. You get an obscene helping of distortion, while still retaining tonal deﬁnition and character. As a result, you get way more bottom end and cabinet character than other small amps. Crank up the Drive control and prepare to dominate!

A•3

Line 6 JM4 Looper User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual